


The Uncertain Dawn

by donutsweeper



Category: Peacemakers (2003)
Genre: Blindness, Case Fic, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Mystery, injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-30
Updated: 2017-11-30
Packaged: 2019-02-01 20:12:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12712137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/donutsweeper/pseuds/donutsweeper
Summary: Badly injured, Finch collapses outside of Katie's place, sparking the investigation into how he got there and what happened to him.





	The Uncertain Dawn

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Settiai](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Settiai/gifts).



> Thanks to werewolfinatophat for the beta!

Katie was just pulling the biscuits out of the oven when a loud noise from outside startled her enough that she nearly dropped the pan. Amy hadn't been so lucky and she sloshed water from the pitcher all over the table. "What was that?"

"Whatever it was, it didn't sound good. Stay here," Katie ordered and grabbed the shotgun before approaching the front door. Better safe than sorry, right? Pulling the curtain aside she peered outside; the rain from earlier had tapered off, but the misty drizzle that remained made it nearly impossible to see much. Something was off though; there was a dark splotch just to the right of the porch where there shouldn't have been one.

Keeping the gun trained on the spot she opened the door and took a step out, taking a quick look around. There was no one she could see and nothing else seemed out of the ordinary. As she got closer, she realized the shape was a body. "What now, people think I'm so desperate for business that they take it upon themselves to die on my doorstep?" she muttered to herself, examining the area a bit better since she knew Finch would want to know all the prevalent details once he started to investigate. There didn't seem to be any signs of the body having been dragged there, although the light was pretty poor this late in the evening so she couldn't be sure.

Still cautious, she stepped closer, planning on nudging the body with her shoe when she suddenly recognized the jacket and build. "Amy! Amy!"

Dropping the gun she fell to her knees, heedless of the mud, and checked for a pulse.

"Katie, what…. Is that Mister Finch?"

"Oh, thank god." It was a little weak, but definitely there. Despite turning him over carefully, his head lolled to the side, attesting to him being deeply unconscious and revealing that blood covered half his face and there was more on his neck and chest.

"Katie?"

"Amy, grab your coat and a lantern and then go find the Marshall and tell him Mister Finch is here and he's hurt and then head on over to Doctor Gates' to let him know and then ask him if he can come too." When Amy didn't immediately respond, Katie looked over at her and realized she was standing frozen in the doorway. "Amy," she repeated, a little forcibly,"I need your help. Finch needs your help. We need you to get Marshall Stone and Doctor Gates. Can you do that for us?"

Katie kept eye contact until Amy nodded and darted back inside. Then, once Amy was on her way she turned her attention back to the man in front of her. "Finch, what the hell happened to you?" It wasn't ideal conditions, not even remotely, but she couldn't get Finch inside on her own and since Amy was too small to help, having her fetch the Marshall and Doc Gates here as soon as possible made more sense, so an examination outside in the dark would have to do. 

There was a wound along his scalp. It wasn't deep, but left a decent knot and bled an awful lot as they tended to do. There was also bruising on the right cheek and... powder burns and swelling under all that blood. The blood by the ear might have been from that or be a result of a ruptured eardrum, it was hard to tell. Running her fingers through his hair and along his skull she didn't find any other injuries and his neck seemed okay as well. His skin was cooler than she'd like, but she didn't think dangerously so.

She noted a cut along his scapula, a glancing wound that didn't look too serious and would probably only need a few stitches, if even that. He winced when she pressed on his ribs though, the first sign he'd given of being aware of her ministrations. "Finch?" she called out, trying to rouse him, and tapped his uninjured cheek lightly. "Finch, can you tell me what happened?" 

He might have heard her because he murmured something in response, but whatever it was that he said it wasn't clear enough for her to understand.

Continuing with her assessment, she avoided the chest entirely for now since there was certainly some sort of injury there and if she tested the ribs further she'd risk doing internal damage if one was broken and she shifted it out of position. The jacket was dark and could be hiding anything; due to the rain she couldn't even tell if the dampness was blood or just water. He wasn't wearing a vest, which was unusual enough for him that she noted it immediately. 

There were no obvious knife wounds or bullet holes on the rest of his torso so she examined his arms and then hands. He'd fought someone, the knuckles on his right hand were abraded and his left was marked up with some sort of injury. He jerked his hand away when she applied light pressure, which meant he was still conscious enough to show some awareness which was a good sign, but since she couldn't see exactly what was wrong in the poor lighting she didn't try to diagnose the injury further.

"I'm going to look at your legs now, Finch," she explained, just in case he was awake enough to understand what she was doing. She started at the feet. His boots were scuffed and mud splattered and she was careful not to dislodge any, knowing Finch would want to examine it later, as she checked his ankles before moving up his legs to his knees and then thighs before giving a cursory examination to his pelvis and waist. 

The sound of horses approaching at a gallop had her grabbing for the shotgun but then she heard the Marshall call out, "Katie! It's just us!" which was probably a good thing because it was only when she put the gun back down that she realized how badly her hands were shaking. Mister Hawkins had been right, announcing yourself when approaching was a good idea. A damned good idea.

"How is he?" Marshall Stone pulled hard on the reins and jumped off his horse before it was probably safe to do so. He ran up with Isaac, Mose, and Chipper not far behind him.

"Where's the Doc? And Amy?"

"A fight broke out a little while ago at Luci's and he's got his hands full for the moment stitching everyone up. Amy's staying with him and they'll ride out here as soon as he can. Now how's Finch?"

"We need to get him inside and warmed up. There's at least a head wound and some damage to his ribs. Maybe some other injuries as well, but there's only so much I could tell out here."

Stone bent down and tilted Finch's cheek to get a better look, grimacing at all the blood. "Chipper, you take care of the horses and then stand guard outside. Mose, Isaac, can you help me carry him in?"

Katie left the men to work out the logistics of getting Finch inside while she headed in herself to stoke the fire and put up some water to boil before gathering bandages and her bag. While she'd rather the Doc treat him, she figured they should at least do the basics while they wait for him to arrive.

She'd just gotten the cot out when Stone backed into the room, holding Finch carefully so his head rested against his chest, with Mose carrying Finch's legs and Isaac closing the door after them. "Just one second," she said, setting the cot up in front of the fire. "Okay, set him down, but keep him upright so we can get his coat off of him. Be easy with him, like I said, I think there's some damage to his ribs."

They settled him down gently. Mose pulling off Finch's boots and setting them on the floor while Stone supported Finch so Isaac could peel off the coat. 

"Careful," Stone said to Mose. "There'll be evidence on those and he'll probably want to examine them when he comes around."

"No 'probably's about it," Katie said, trying, and failing, to lighten the mood. "Mose, can you get me some more lamps? There's two in the kitchen and there should be one in each of the bedrooms. The doctor will need more light when he gets here."

"Of course, Miss Katie."

"Isaac, once Mose is back I want you to grab a lantern and for the two of you to check around outside. Keep an eye for tracks and see if you can figure out how Finch got here. And make sure whoever did this to him isn't hanging around to try again. Just because no one attacked Katie while she was out in the open with Finch earlier doesn't mean they aren't there."

"Thanks, Marshall, that's very comforting," Katie grumbled. "Huh, he doesn't have his holster on. He almost never goes out and about without it."

Stone checked Finch's collar and grimaced. "No throwing knife either. I don't like it."

The room brightened once the extra lamps were lit and by the time Katie had teased Finch's sodden shirt off the fireplace had done its job and everything had started to warm up as well. "Let's start getting him cleaned up. I'd like to get a better look at the injuries on his face. Can you fill a couple of bowls with water for me, Marshall?"

Finch flinched when Katie first dabbed at his face before regaining conscious all of a sudden a moment later and lashing out, his fists flying. It would have been a pretty good hit if she hadn't darted away, but she'd moved quickly enough that it was barely more than a glancing blow. He then tried to sit up, crying out in pain as he did so.

"Finch!" Stone yelled, grabbing Finch by the shoulders and pressing him back down. 

"No! Don't!" shouted Finch, the first words he'd said coherently since Katie found him. "Let me. I. Can't. No!"

"Finch, it's me, Stone. You're safe." Stone still held Finch down, his forearm across Finch's chest, keeping him on the cot while being careful not to touch the knife wound, but Finch still struggled against him. "Calm down, you're safe. Finch, you're safe," he repeated.

Finch quieted, blinking up at Stone, but Katie wasn't sure he was actually seeing him. He wasn't thrashing about anymore anyway, so Katie stepped back up to the cot, keeping Stone between them.

"That's it, there you are. It's all right, Finch. You're safe," Stone crooned, like he was talking to a startled horse. After a minute or two Finch calmed enough that even though Stone still had his arm on him, he let up the pressure some.

"Stone?"

"Yeah, it's me. Katie's here too. She found you outside her place about an hour ago and she's been tending you. Can you tell us what happened?"

"Katie?"

"I'm right here, Finch." Katie walked around the head of the cot to Finch's other side.

"Did I hit you? I wasn't thinking when I awoke, I didn't know where I was. I merely reacted. I'm sorry, Katie."

Finch was still looking vaguely in Stone's direction as he spoke, not hers. He hadn't realized she'd moved. That was worrying. Katie was pretty sure Stone noticed it as well and when she raised an eyebrow at him he nodded. 

With his other hand Stone reached out slowly, obviously, telegraphing his movement to take Finch by the chin, but Finch startled at the contact. "Finch," he asked. "Can you see me?"

"Stone," Finch began, but his voice drifted off and he didn't say anything more.

"Oh hell, Larimer." Stone released Finch and sat back on his haunches.

Katie grabbed one of the lamps and brought it closer. "Can you see anything at all?" 

"Shadows?" he offered with a grimace before closing his right eye and then opening it and closing his left. "My left's a bit better than my right. Everything's a bit more… distinct?"

"That makes sense. Here, Stone, you take the lamp and pass me the bowl. If we you cleaned up some we might be able to get a better look at the damage."

"What do you mean, it 'make sense'?"

Surprisingly, it was Stone who answered before she could. "There's some powder burns on your cheek and your left hand, along with some blowback. Looks to me like you were struggling with someone over a gun when it went off. Didn't hit you, which is good of course, but you were close enough when it fired that the flash burned you some. I've seen it happen before, especially in the war. Usually goes away in a couple of days or so."

Finch stiffened. "Usually?"

"Don't go borrowing trouble," Katie advised, using the phrase she'd heard a lot growing up. "Doc'll be here soon and I'm sure he'll have more to say on that."

There was a knock on the door, causing Stone to immediately pull out his gun but he reholstered it when Chipper popped his head in. "Horse and buggy coming this way. Looks like it's the Doc."

"Or, you can find out what he'll say right now," Stone said wryly. "After he examines you we'll talk and give you a chance to tell us who hurt you and how you got out here."

"Out here?" Finch squinted, looking around, but it was clear to Katie that he couldn't see well enough to figure out where he was.

"You're at my place," Katie explained. 

"Then why didn't you take me to the doctor's rather than forcing the man to come here?"

"We're at my house, not in town."

"Oh."

Chipper opened the door again, this time letting Amy and Doctor Gates enter.

"Marshall, Katie," Doctor Gates greeted them with a nod and touch to his hat before he removed it. "I'd like to see to my patient now if you will excuse us."

"I'm going to go see what Isaac and Mose found," Stone said, patting Finch on the shoulder before getting up. "I'll be back once the Doc patches you up."

Katie put down the bowl and rag and stood up herself. "Hang in there, Finch. Come on, Amy, let's go into the kitchen. After all that time spent outside I'm sure Chipper and the others would appreciate some coffee and maybe some food."

Heading into the kitchen she heard Amy offer a hesitant, "Glad to see you're looking better, Detective Finch," as she walked past but then deliberately began bustling around the kitchen, trying to ignore any bits of conversation that might make their way from the front room.

A little over an hour later, after fortifying themselves with some biscuits, stew and coffee, Mose, Isaac, and Chipper headed back to town and Amy went to bed. Not surprisingly, Stone remained and sat at the table with his hands cupped around his mug, glaring the dregs of his coffee into submission.

Eventually, Doctor Gates poked his head in. "We're just about done if you'd like to come back in."

"Can I offer you some coffee or something to eat, doctor?" Katie waved the coffee pot his way.

"No thanks, Katie. As soon as I have the detective settled I'd like to head home if you don't mind." 

"Settled? How is he?" Stone asked as he and Katie followed the doctor back into the main room.

Katie stopped short in the doorway. Finch had never appeared to her as a particularly imposing man, but perched awkwardly on the edge of the sofa he seemed smaller than a man of his size had any right to be. He was still shirtless and the wrapping supporting his ribs and over his left shoulder stood out against the blooming bruise that spread across half his abdomen. His eyes were also bandaged, thick strips of fabric completely covered them from the bridge of his nose to up past his eyebrows.

"How's he doing, Doc?" Stone asked as he picked up the cot and moved it out of the way.

"Overall he's damned lucky. A little hypothermic, but not dangerously so. You were right, Marshall, he suffered some damage to his eyes, but those kinds of flash burns tend to heal well enough with some rest so I want him to keep his eyes covered for at least 48 hours. He took a good hit or two to the ribs, but they appear bruised, not broken so as long as he's careful for the next few weeks that shouldn't be a problem. Thankfully, he's got a hard head and other than some memory loss he's not showing any signs of real damage as a result of that blow to the head he took."

"Memory loss?" Stone asked.

"Unfortunately, I don't remember much past our chess game this morning," Finch explained.

"It's a fairly common side effect of a head injury. Remember what I said though, detective, you need to be resting your eyes so you're not going to be able to get around on your own until those bandages are removed. I can wire for a nurse to come up from Denver on the morning train if you like?"

"There's no need for that." Katie looked at Stone and tilted her head, questioningly. When he nodded she continued. "The Marshall and I can help him."

"Oh, no, I couldn't ask you to—"

"You're not asking, Finch," Stone interrupted gruffly. "We're offering." 

"Insisting," Katie corrected.

"Yeah, that."

"Well, either way, I'm glad to hear it. Neither of you will likely let him get away with pushing himself too much and injuring those ribs further or preventing his eyes from healing properly. Now, I'd like to see you in my office in two days' time, detective. Earlier, if you're experiencing any problems."

"Of course, doctor. Thank you."

"I'll see you out, Doc," Stone offered, gesturing to Katie to come with them to the door. Once there he quietly added, "You really think he's going to see again?"

"There's no guarantee, of course, but I think it's more likely than not he'll get most, if not all of his vision back within a week or two."

"More than likely?" Katie couldn't help but let some of her worry creep into her voice. The thought of Finch, who relied on his eyes for so much of his work, not being able to see horrified her.

"I can hear you," Finch called from the sofa, sounding more than slightly frustrated. "My eyes may be damaged but ears are still fine."

"We'll know more when the bandages come off," Doctor Gates explained in his normal voice and turned back to Finch. "Until then, detective, rest. And, please, let your friends help you. Marshall. Katie." With a nod to them both, he took his leave.

By the time Katie shut the door firmly behind him, Stone had already pulled up a chair and was sitting across from Finch. "You really don't remember anything?"

"I'm afraid not. I heard you and Chipper talking outside with a few others, what did you find?"

"There's only the one set of tracks, so you walked here under your own power. The light wasn't great and the rain washed away a lot, but we were able to follow your trail for about a half mile before losing it. You were weaving all over the place; I'm not sure you if knew where you were going or with your eyes the way they were you were having trouble seeing or maybe you were deliberately trying to muddle your trail in case you were being followed."

"Or perhaps a combination of the three. We should," Finch began before grimacing and correcting himself, "You should examine what I was wearing. Was my gun fired? What about my boots, is there anything stuck in the treads?"

"We put your boots, along with your shirt and coat by the fire to dry. Let me check." 

"Thank you, Katie. Is my gun there as well?"

Katie decided to let Stone be the one to break the news about the missing weapons so she focused on retrieving everything. The coat was still pretty damp, but the shirt and shoes were mostly dry.

The silence hung between them long enough that Finch must have realized what it meant. "Someone took my gun?" he sounded horrified. Justifiably so, Katie supposed.

"They didn't just take your gun. Your holster was gone, Finch," Stone informed him. "Your knife too."

Finch went pale at the news. Pale enough that if Katie had been closer she might have grabbed him in fear he might faint. Stone must have thought that too because he made an aborted movement, like he was about to reach out, but stopped when Finch suddenly jumped to his feet and took a few steps forward.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" Stone yelled, getting to his feet as well.

Finch didn't answer, but shifted his suspenders… like he was going to remove his pants?

"Finch!" Her voice did not squeak when she yelled. It didn't.

His actions became clear a moment later when he pulled a small knife out of the waistband of his trousers. "Sorry. I wanted to make sure they hadn't gotten all my weapons. I don't like being defenseless." He sagged a little and turned, his hand searching about in front of him as he tried to figure out where he was in relation to the furniture around him. Stone stepped up to him, taking Finch by the arm and helping him back to the sofa so he could sit again. Neither he nor Katie mentioned anything about how tight a grip Finch had on the little knife.

"You are anything _but_ defenseless, Finch." Stone sat next to Finch this time, probably knowing it'd help Finch relax if he had a clearer sense of where Stone was.

It seemed to work, whether it was due to the knife or Stone, Finch didn't look as tense and Katie took the opportunity to bring the conversation back to the matter at hand. "Well, this probably doesn't come as a surprise to you consider all the rain we've been having, but your boots are pretty splattered with mud."

"Not a surprise at all, no. And the treads?"

"Give me a second." Using the fireplace poker she pried away the clump of dirt stuck in front of the heel. "It's not completely dried yet, but I can tell that the bottom layer's a little different. A little like the dirt on the street in town but also with some small rocks in it?"

Finch made a hmmm noise before asking, "What color?"

"The dirt or the rocks?"

"Both."

Katie brought everything over so Stone could see too as she said, "I'd say the dirt's a mix of brown, kind of... well, typical dirt, but there's also some finer grey dust mixed into it. The rocks are small, but sharp and jagged and a dark grey."

"The dust and the rocks are the same color," Stone added after he examined it for a moment. "They're definitely from the same place. I'd say the brown part of dirt was there first and the dust and rocks were added together at the same time."

"Interesting. What about the layering of the sediment? After the dust and rocks is there the brown dirt from the street again or is it a darker, denser mud?"

"Mostly just the mud, I'd say," Katie said. "And it matches the stuff that's splattered on the toes of the boots and your knees and the right sleeve of your jacket too."

"So that must be the most recent addition then. You said my trail was haphazard? I most likely fell several times on my way here, that would explain how the mud came to be in so many places. If the brown dirt is from the streets of Silver City as you suggest, then we merely need to deduce where the dust and rocks came from and we'll have discovered where I was injured."

"All right, all right, it's a start, but it's by no means any sort of answer or anything. Maybe we can retrace your steps somewhat. Let's try to jog that memory of yours. What's the last thing you remember doing?"

"Like I said earlier, I recall us playing chess. We didn't finish the game," he added hesitantly, like he wasn't entirely sure and was fishing for information. It was a technique Katie had seem him use when questioning witnesses and suspects with a lot of success in many of their investigations.

"No, we didn't. Do you remember why?"

"We. Uh." Finch brought his hand up, as if he were about to rub the knot on his head, but Stone grabbed it- a good thing considering it was the hand with the knife in it.

"Why don't you let me hold onto this for you," Stone suggested as he pried the knife out of Finch's hand.

"Sorry, I forgot. I didn't mean to," Finch trailed off with a sigh.

"Maybe we should pick this up in the morning?" It wasn't really all that late, but Katie supposed Finch hadn't had the easiest of days.

"No, I want to figure this out. I need to." 

Katie looked over at Stone, who shrugged and gave her a 'what else can we do' look, which wasn't remotely helpful but then she realized Finch's headache might not just be related to that blow he took. "All right, but you definitely missed dinner and who knows about lunch so let me grab you something to eat."

"Thank you, but I'm afraid I'm not very hungry."

"You need to eat." Stone stood and strode into the kitchen. "Katie made biscuits. Those should be easy on your stomach."

"I'm not sure," Finch began, but Stone was back and shoving a biscuit in his hand before he could finish his protest.

"Eat. And not another word about the case until you finish it."

"I guess I'll eat then."

In order not to laugh at the helpless bafflement on Finch's face, Katie headed to the kitchen herself. "I'll get you a glass of water."

"Thank you, Katie, Jared."

Finch ate and drank very slowly. Katie couldn't imagine how difficult it was, trying to feed yourself when you couldn't see what you were doing. Once he finished the biscuit and the glass had been drained he immediately went back to trying to figure out what had happened to him.

"Why didn't we finish our game?"

"Rosie came by to report a theft," Stone prompted.

"The blankets!"

"What blankets?" Katie hadn't heard anyone talking about anything that had happened at Rosie's in the past few days.

"Some blankets… something about some blankets that had gone missing?"

"That's right. The Reverend had asked her to repair some blankets that someone had donated for him to give to the poor. He was supposed to drop them off last night but they when they weren't there in the morning she just assumed he hadn't had a chance to bring them over. But then he came by with another blanket for her to fix up and they realized the other two had been stolen at some point during the night."

Finch nodded slowly. "There hadn't been any obvious signs of forced entry, but since there isn't much to steal at an embroidery shop Roise often didn't lock her door so there wasn't much we could do, especially considering neither Rosie nor Reverend Knowles wanted to open an investigation over two old, well worn blankets."

"They assumed if someone took them they must have needed them, and since the blankets were to go to the poor anyway all it meant was Rosie wouldn't have to spend the time fixing them up first. We were heading back to the office when you said you needed to check on something in your lab and that we'd have to finish our game later."

"I did?" Finch pursed his lips and settled further back against the couch. "Yes, I did. I wanted to review my files."

"Review what? We haven't had a major case in weeks."

"There was something… I remember looking over some notes." Finch let out a frustrated huff but then immediately winced, pressing his hand against his ribs.

"You need to be careful with your ribs. They might not be broken, but they're still mighty bruised. In fact, it'd probably be better if you just lay down, it'd take some pressure off of them. Here, let me take that glass before you drop it and then Stone can guide you down so you don't have to move too much or risk smacking your head or anything." She plucked it out of his hand the moment he offered it and brought it to the table. On her way back she detoured to grab her mother's old quilt out of the hope chest. "I don't want you catching a chill, so I'm going to spread a blanket over you if that's okay?"

"Yes, thank you."

"So, what was in those notes?" Stone asked as he helped her unfold the quilt and spread it over Finch. 

"Hmm? Oh, just what I'd jotted down regarding the various incidents of petty thievery we've been having around town the last month or so."

"What incidents?" Katie asked. 

"Some canned goods were stolen from Klein's store," Stone informed her. "Probably. No one could really be sure about it since they don't do inventory all that often."

"Frank noticed they were missing a pitcher from the hotel a few weeks ago and two bottles of whiskey were stolen from Miss Luci's last Thursday. Sue was positive that they were there when she locked up but they were gone when she opened the next day."

"No one said anything about either of those to me." Stone sounded positively annoyed at that. 

Finch gave a one shoulder shrug in response which Katie chastised him for with a light slap. "I said no unnecessary moving."

"Sorry."

"Don't be sorry, just don't move more than you have to."

"Yes, ma'am."

"So you think the blankets are related to all that?" Stone asked, trying to get them back to the matter at hand.

"I believe... that was my working hypothesis, yes."

"You believe?"

"I. Yes. The thefts seemed random at first, but I was certain they were all connected." Finch grimaced, shifting painfully under the quilt.

"All right, that's it. As the only one here with any medical training, I am calling a halt to this."

"Katie?" It was telling that it was Stone that was the one who protested, not Finch.

Leveling her best glare at him had Stone backing down nearly immediately, especially when she gestured at Finch and how they could clearly see much pain he seemed to be in- no one clenched their jaw like that unless they were trying to prevent themselves from voicing something and in Finch's case it was most likely how much he was hurting.

"Why don't you head on back to town, Marshall? Finch can stay the night here and then I'll bring him by your office in the morning."

"Oh, no, Katie, I couldn't impose on you and Amy like that." Finch made an aborted move, as if he were going to sit up, but Stone was quicker, clapping a hand down on Finch's shoulder. 

"You can and you will," Stone ordered. "She wouldn't have offered if she didn't mind."

"But…"

"And besides, she can take you in her wagon which'll be a hell of a lot easier on your ribs than sharing a horse with me would be."

"Ah, yes. I hadn't considered that."

"Well, that's settled then." Stone patted Finch's shoulder twice before he removed his hand. "I'll see you two in the morning." 

Katie walked him out and was completely unsurprised when, once they were far enough away that Finch wouldn't easily overhear them, Stone added a quiet, "I'll take a quick look around the property before I head out. There weren't any signs that he was followed and I doubt there's any danger, but better safe than sorry."

"Thank you, Stone."

He tipped his hat to her in response and then walked into the night. Katie waited until he'd mounted his horse and then shut and locked the door and continued to watch from the window as he made a circuit around the immediate area. "Finch, can I get you anything?" she asked, once Stone had finished his perusal and turned his horse toward town.

When he didn't answer, she checked on him. The tenseness she'd noted in his face earlier had lessened and he was breathing deeply, steadily. He'd fallen asleep. Smoothing the quilt out she noted that thankfully his coloring had improved as well. With any luck he'd sleep straight through until the morning and maybe then he'd be able to recall more about what happened and who did this to him.

Gathering up the various lamps, she left one behind since even with the bandages he should have the ability to differentiate at least between darkness and light somewhat, and put them away before heading off to bed.

Finch had been a little prickly in the morning, but with a little help from both Amy and herself he managed to get his shirt and shoes on and made a decent attempt at breakfast before requesting she take him into town. He was quieter than usual and his movements were very careful and deliberate but Katie couldn't be sure it was due to his blindness, his injuries, or a combination of the two.

She was almost glad he couldn't see the townsfolk's reaction to him as they rode in. He most likely could hear the whispers, which were bad enough, but no one even tried to hide their stares; it made her uncomfortable and she wasn't even the target. Stone must have seen them approaching because he was waiting on the porch in front of his office along with Chipper and the Mayor.

"If I were a betting man, I'd wager our arrival has not gone unnoticed." Finch phrased it like he was joking, but Katie thought he sounded more ashamed than anything else.

"You'd win that bet. We've got a welcoming committee and everything." 

"I assume there's at least Marshall Stone and Chipper. Who else?" Finch twisted, like he was reaching for the seatback to turn in order to get down once they came to a full stop but he let out a sharp hiss of pain at the movement and immediately bent over, wrapping his arm around his chest.

"Yeah, maybe you shouldn't do that," Stone chided, stepping forward. He helped Finch straighten and then kept his hand on his back, subtly guiding him off the wagon and up the steps.

"Mister Finch, I just wanted to express to you the fact that you have the support of myself and the entire town during your recovery. If there is anything I can do to be of assistance, please feel free to let me know."

"Thanks, Malcolm, but I don't think that'll be necessary." Stone tried to lead Finch straight past the Mayor and into his office, but Finch paused to offer his hand in the general direction of the Mayor's position.

"Thank you, Mayor. I appreciate that." Once Smith shook his hand Finch dipped his head in a 'that's that' dismissal kind of way and let Stone direct him into the office. Chipper and Katie were already inside so as soon as Mayor Smith had nodded in response Stone brushed past him and shut the door.

"Here, sit down." Stone shoved Finch at a chair and practically pushed him bodily into it. "Do you need anything?"

"Chipper?"

"Right here, sir."

"Would you mind doing me a favor and fetching me a change of clothing from my lab? I'm afraid these are a little done in."

"Sure thing, Detective Finch." He paused long enough to snag the offered keys and then practically flew out of the room.

"Is he all right? He seems even more excitable than usual," Finch murmured at the whirlwind Chipper left in his wake.

"Is he all right? Are _you_ all right? For God's sake, Finch, you scared the hell out me last night." Stone rubbed a hand over his face before quickly adding, "How are you doing? How's the memory? Any clearer on what happened?"

"Yes, actually. Do you remember those tunnels Tipton dug beneath the town?"

"Of course I do, you damn near died down there."

"I recall thinking about how convenient they made his escape after the robberies at the bank and the mining company. Now, I know they blocked up those entryways, but it had been considered too dangerous to collapse the tunnels entirely and it was decided that filling them in was deemed expensive and unnecessary."

"Ooh," Katie realized what Finch was implying. "You realized someone had been using those tunnels to steal from places around town! Sure, that makes sense."

"Yes. Well, no, not exactly."

Stone sat down behind his desk and pulled off his glasses, gesturing with them as he spoke. "Maybe you should explain what you mean by that. Not exactly?"

"I think someone has been using them, yes, but not in the manner in which Katie implied. The amount of work involved to create a separate entrance into each of the places that reported a theft would be far too onerous."

"So what then, there's only one entrance somewhere in town? That doesn't make any sense. Why go through the trouble of using the tunnels if you live here anyway? Why not just break in, steal what you need, and then head back home?"

"I agree with the Marshall, that doesn't make any sense, Finch."

"Ah, but it does if the person or persons committing the thefts was living in the tunnels."

" _Living_ in the tunnels?" Stone sounded as confused by the idea as Katie felt. "Why would you think someone was doing that?"

"Because of the items stolen," Finch explained. "Blankets, a pitcher, food. All the basic needs one has when one is setting up a campsite somewhere. There were certainly many other things that could have been stolen once someone gained entry to the general store that would have been worth much more money than a few cans of peaches and other foodstuffs."

"Whiskey isn't exactly a 'basic need', Finch."

"Well, no, I suppose not, Stone, not technically. But I suspect many would consider it so and it is also used medicinally."

Katie nodded, but then realized Finch wouldn't see that so she said, "He has a point."

"And considering the weather we've been having recently, between the unseasonable cold and all the rain, being underground would protect one from the elements much better than trying to make do with a tent or trying to camp under one's wagon. Assuming the person in question couldn't afford a room, that is. But, if they're stealing, I feel that's a fairly safe assumption to make."

"True." Stone drew out the word, like he always did when he was considering something.

"Did you find the entrance?" Katie asked.

Finch pursed his lips. "I honestly don't remember. The evidence suggests I did; being in the tunnels would account for the particulate matter found between the town dirt and the mud from by Katie's place."

"Particulate matter?" Stone looked at Katie as he spoke, raising his eyebrows as if asking if she knew what Finch was talking about. She didn't, and shrugged in response; it was nice to know she wasn't the only who had no idea what Finch was talking about some of the times.

"The dust and small rocks."

Chipper returned then, flinging the door open with a loud clatter and proclaiming, "I got the clothes like you asked, Detective Finch."

Finch startled at the noise, jumping to his feet before seeming to process who had come in and what they had said. "Thank you, Chipper." His voice was steady, but he'd paled considerably and was suddenly looking a lot worse for wear.

Chipper held the clothes out, not seeming to realize with the bandages over his eyes Finch couldn't see them to take them. 

"Oh hell," Stone muttered and grabbed the clothes out of Chipper's hands and pushed them into Finch's. "Come on, Finch, I'll take you upstairs and help you get changed."

"I'm fine, Stone, I don't need your—"

"I'm helping and that's final." He pretty much gave Finch no choice in the matter, taking him by the arm and propelling him towards the stairs before practically pushing him up them. To her and Chipper he said, "Chipper, you hold down the fort. Katie, why don't you take care of your wagon. We'll meet you back at your place later."

"Will do, Marshall," Chipper called after them.

They watched until the two men had disappeared into Stone's room and then Chipper turned to her. "It just seems wrong, seeing Mister Finch like that. I mean, both he and the Marshall have gotten hurt before and I know being a lawman can be dangerous but…" he trailed off with a sigh. 

"I know what you mean, Chipper." She was pretty sure she was going to have a nightmare or two about how Finch had looked when she'd first found him outside her place, especially the way his head had flopped to the side when she'd turned him over and how for a moment she'd feared he might be dead.

The faint sound of arguing could be heard from above. It sounded like Finch was being stubborn and Stone ornery, or perhaps it was the other way around. Whatever it was though, Katie figured it would probably be best to leave before she got dragged into whatever they were fighting about. "Well, it sounds like the Marshall has things under control up there so I'm going to head on over to the funeral parlor. See you later, Chipper."

"Bye, Miss Katie."

Katie stabled her horse and saw to the wagon and then puttered around doing the typical stuff she did everyday while she waited for Stone and Finch to arrive so they could continue their investigation. She was in the middle of checking the books when Stone came in alone.

Immediately concerned, she rose to her feet but Stone held up his hand. "He's fine. Has a hell of a headache besides being dizzy and sore so I got him to lie down and rest for a little while."

How on earth had he managed that? She hadn't even been able to talk Finch into a taking a splash of brandy in his coffee this morning to help ease his pain. "Stone, if I go up and check on him, am I going to find him handcuffed to your bed?"

He laughed at that, big deep guffaws that seemed to fill the room. They had an almost desperate quality to them at first, probably due to the same stress she'd been feeling over the whole situation, before calming down to his more normal chuckle. "No," he protested once he was able to answer. "I merely convinced him that he'd be putting me and Chipper in danger if he tried to come with us and reminded him that the more he rested the quicker he'd heal up."

Sure, that sounded like a good story, but she knew Stone and she knew Finch and she didn't think that was exactly what happened. "Convinced him? Convinced him how?"

"Okay, there might have been a threat or two involved in there somewhere as well."

Probably involving handcuffs or rope. "I thought as much. Now what's this about you and Chipper working together?" she asked, which she figured was a polite way of asking why she apparently wasn't going to be included in the investigation as well.

"Oh, yeah, I suppose you noticed that, didn't you?" He had the decency to look sheepish about it at least. "Katie, Finch is highly trained. He can fight with bare fists, he's an excellent shot and he's downright scary with that throwing knife of his and despite all that whoever it is we're chasing managed to disarm and nearly kill him. I can't drag you into something like that."

"So you're taking _Chipper_?"

"Well, Finch and I have been teaching him to defend himself, but, even so, once we find however they've been getting in and out of the tunnels I was thinking of asking Isaac and maybe a few others to come along with us."

"I think that sounds like an excellent idea."

"I thought you might. Anyway, I was wondering if you'd be able to check in on Finch in a little while. I know he's not helpless but…"

"But he's currently blind."

"Yeah." Stone scrubbed a hand over his face and sighed.

She sighed too because there really wasn't much else to say about that. Either Doctor Gates' optimistic diagnosis was right and Finch would heal up just fine or… he wouldn't. And there wasn't anything either of them could do about it either way.

"I'll stop by and see if he needs anything in an hour or so."

"Thanks, Katie." He gave her a wry smile and then headed out.

She wished she was going with him of course, but couldn't argue that it was probably better if she didn't. She could fire a gun, sure, but she didn't have the kind of precision needed if it came down to a gunfight. Maybe she should ask for some lessons or, at least, she should consider practicing her aim on her own from time to time.

The morning passed slowly, same as it usually did. Finch was either asleep or doing a good job of faking it the various times she checked on him. In the early afternoon, Stone stopped by to say they were taking a break from the search for lunch and that he'd make sure Finch got something to eat even if he had to force it down his throat. Oddly enough, she wouldn't put it past him, but she didn't think it was going to be necessary. Finch would probably be more comfortable being vulnerable around Stone than around her and she couldn't really blame him for it.

Midafternoon she found Finch sitting behind Stone's desk with several guns spread out on a large cloth in front of him. At least one had been broken down into several pieces and he was rubbing them with a small rag. "Finch, what are you doing?"

"Cleaning the Marshall's weapons," he said dryly, like it was supposed to be obvious, which, she supposed, it was.

"Does Stone know you're doing that? And, well, how are you managing to do it?" 

"I've trained myself to handle guns in the dark in case I ever needed to use them when obtaining light would give my position away. It's turned out to be a more useful skill than I'd first thought it to be. And as for Stone... Who do you think fetched me my cleaning kit?"

"Stone really brought you your kit?"

"Well, no, Chipper did, but Stone was in the room when I asked Chipper for it and by the moment or two of silence between them immediately following my request I assume he requested and obtained Stone's approval."

That was actually really clever. "You don't miss much, do you?"

"I'm an investigator, I can't afford to." He deflated a bit after he said that, bringing a hand up to touch the bandaging around his eyes. 

She didn't offer any platitudes, knowing such things most likely wouldn't be welcome. Instead she came around the desk, making sure to tread loudly enough he could hear her footsteps, and covered his hand with her own. "We'll get you through this."

"Thank you, Katie."

After a moment or two she patted his hand and stepped away. "Do you need anything? Can I get you some water or coffee or something?"

"No, I'm fine, but I appreciate the offer."

"Well, if you're sure. I'll stop by in another hour or two in case you change your mind."

"That's really not necessary, Katie. I shall be fine on my own."

"I know you will, but I'm still going to come over anyway. Bye, Finch," she said, heading for the door.

He smiled at that, just as she'd hoped he would and offered a, "Goodbye, Katie," before returning to his cleaning.

About three hours later a grim-faced Chipper appeared and told her the Marshall had requested that she come by his office.

"Did you find who hurt Detective Finch?" she asked as they headed over there.

"Yeah, sort of. Well, not really, no."

"Thanks, Chipper, that really clears things up."

Chipper shrugged. "It's probably best if I let the Marshall explain."

"I suppose so." Katie let Chipper hold the door for her as they entered. Waiting for them inside the Marshall's office was Stone, Finch, and Mayor Smith. The spare desk had been cleared of its usual things and was now covered with all sorts of random items, including two blankets, an unopened bottle of whiskey, and a pitcher so Katie assumed it was the cache of stolen items that they'd recovered somehow.

"I assume that's Chipper returning with Katie so now everyone is accounted for, Marshall." Finch was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed in front of him. It was a little hard to tell with so much of his face covered, but Katie was fairly sure he looked rather annoyed, which was understandable considering the cell was empty and since she hadn't been called here in a professional capacity it seemed that whoever had hurt him had gotten away. "If you'd like to explain what you found?"

"We uncovered two entrances to the tunnels around town- one behind Luci's and the other over by the livery," Stone began. "All evidence points to the one by Luci's being used more frequently than the other since the ground there's pretty trampled and a noticeable amount of the town's dirt had been tracked into the tunnels there and a lot of the tunnel's dust and rocks were spread around on the dirt. We searched the area near both entryways pretty thoroughly but we couldn't tell which one you had found, Finch. Any of this seem familiar to you?"

"No, sorry. I have... a few flashes of memory after leaving my lab, perhaps of being in the tunnels, but no recollections as to how I got there."

Stone nodded. "I figured you would have mentioned if you did. Anyway, we definitely found signs people had been living down there."

"People?" Mayor Smith asked. "There are people who have been living _under_ the town?"

"Yeah, it looks that way. At least one family, maybe two." Stone picked something up off the table and held it up. It was a small, handmade ragdoll. "We didn't bring everything up but I had Chipper write up a full inventory of everything we found down there; we can go over it later, Finch, if you like. We found the pitcher, the blankets, a few canned goods- probably everything that was stolen from around town that they hadn't used."

"We found a lot of stuff… just not the people who hurt Mister Finch," Chipper added.

"If I had to guess, I'd say they never intended to stay there permanently, probably just until the weather improved. Finch finding them and the fight that followed," Stone paused, looking at Finch as he spoke, "it moved their timetable up."

"Marshall, I would appreciate it if you could show me where these entryways are. Even with the perpetrators gone, it would be in the town's best interest to make sure they are blocked up to prevent anyone else from using them again."

"It's a little late in the day to do anything about them now, but it's a good idea for you to know where they are so they can be taken care of eventually. Chipper, would you mind taking the Mayor to the two entrances? I'd like to continue filling in Detective Finch and Katie on the rest of our findings in the tunnels."

"Sure thing, Marshall." Chipper opened the door. "Mayor Smith? After you, sir."

"Thank you, Chipper." The Mayor tipped his hat to Katie as he left.

"What aren't you saying, Jared?" Finch asked the moment the door shut.

"We also found your gun and holster down there. Your throwing knife too."

Finch pushed himself away from the wall, more animated than Katie had seen him since he'd been hurt. "You found them?"

"Yeah."

"You don't seem very happy about it." Which Katie thought was odd; shouldn't finding Finch's things be a good thing?

"I am! It's just," Stone sighed, shaking his head.

"I assume there was something about how you found them that has you feeling uneasy?" Finch inched forward, sweeping a hand in from of him, until he came in contact with the desk. Then he began feeling about and rifling through the objects on it. 

"I know you want to be armed, Finch. I understand why you'd feel that way, I do, but I really don't think you should wear your holster and right now."

"You don't think the good townspeople of Silver City would appreciate a blind man toting a gun."

"No, I don't." Stone reached out and wrapped his hand over Finch's forearm, pulling his arm towards him while twisting it lightly. "But, here." He plunked Finch's throwing knife into his upraised palm. "I'm just going to ask you only use it if the situation calls for you needing to defend yourself."

Finch smiled and tucked the knife under his collar, where he'd always kept it. "Thank you."

Stone herded Finch over to the chair in front of his desk and shoved him into it before walking around the desk to sit in his own. "Like I said, it wasn't just some thief hiding out down there, there were signs an entire family or two was down there. Six, eight people, maybe more and at least a few of them children. We found where they'd been living and from what I saw, well, it looked like you might have stumbled upon them."

"What do you mean?"

"Now, I've done some tracking in my day. I know how to read signs better than most, but that doesn't mean—"

"Jared, please, just tell me."

"Fine, but remember, this is just my guess on what happened. I think you approached where they were quietly enough no one heard you until you got really close. Since you were going into an unknown situation you had your gun drawn."

"Please tell me I didn't shoot a child," Finch said softly, flatly.

"What? No!" Stone looked horrified Finch might have even considered that. "But I think you were surprised at finding who you did down there. We found your lantern set to the side along the wall a bend or so before the area they were living in. If I had to guess, I'd say either they had their own lamp or since their camp wasn't all that far from the mouth of the tunnels there was some natural light, but the result was you blew your lantern out, drew your gun, and slowly approached like I said. I think right as you turned the corner was when they heard you coming - there were a lot of small rocks spread along the shaft there which looked like it was done deliberately - and one of the men from the group attacked you. There were signs of a scuffle and a gun firing wildly. I found a bullet in one of the beams."

"A bullet from my gun, I assume."

"The caliber matches. It was too smashed up to do one of your comparison test things. But, uh, it looks like it was during the scuffle that you also hit your head- there was a collapsed section with several large rocks and bits of wood and a nice sized patch of blood. Once you'd been stunned or knocked out and everything'd calmed down they must have recognized you, or maybe they just hadn't meant to hurt anyone in the first place, but there's signs they tried to do a bit of doctoring. They took off your coat and holster, lay you down on a sheet of canvas with your coat and vest under your head as a pillow and cleaned your wounds with a rag soaked with whiskey."

"What then?"

"I can't really say. I don't know what their plan was, if the idea was to leave you there or they were going to get you help, but at some point you must have roused enough to get up, grab your coat, slip out and somehow found your way to Katie's."

"I still have no idea how I managed that."

"Neither do I." Katie had been staying out of the way, back by the spare desk, but she came up behind Finch and wrapped her arm around his shoulders. "But," she added, "I am very glad you did."

"It was a damned good thing you did, I wouldn't have liked your chances if you'd spent the night outside in the rain and cold."

Looking down at him, Katie noted how Finch's hands were clenched and his brow furrowed. He was sitting stiffly, feeling tense under her arm, and his breathing was a little shallow. He was obviously in a decent amount of pain. Waving her hand to catch Stone's attention she gestured at Finch. _He looks terrible_ , she mouthed to him. _He needs to rest_.

Stone raised an eyebrow and raised his hands, mouthing something along the lines of _Yeah, but what do you want me to do about it?_

"If you two are done trying to converse without me being aware, perhaps we could get back to the matter at hand?"

Stone had the decency to look a little sheepish at getting caught and Katie knew her own face was red, but neither of them admitted to anything. 

"There's not much to get back to," Stone said eventually. "The suspects are gone and while we collected all the evidence we could, I don't think it's going to tell us anything."

"So what can we do?" Katie asked.

"Nothing." Finch shrugged out of her arm and got to his feet. "I realize it's still a bit early for it, but if one of you could help me get back to my room I think I'll turn in for the night."

"What are you going to do for dinner?" Katie asked at the same time that Stone said, "I don't think that's such a good idea."

"I'm not hungry," he replied to Katie before turning in Stone's direction and adding, "And, thank you for your concern, but I'll be fine on my own tonight. I can probably even find my way by myself, but I accept the fact that it's unlikely either of you would allow me to do so."

"Yeah, that isn't going to happen," Stone grumbled.

Finch sighed. "Stone, please. I may be currently blind, but I am not helpless. I just… wish to sleep in my own bed tonight. If it'll make you feel better I'll promise not to leave my room until you come by in the morning. I'll even let you buy me breakfast."

"Oh, you'll _let_ me?"

"Perhaps. If you ask nicely."

"Fine." 

"Thank you."

Stone hadn't looked that happy about it, he still didn't, but he seemed at least somewhat willing to go along with Finch on it. Katie wasn't so sure, but if Stone was okay with it, she decided not to argue against it. "I suppose I should pick up Amy and head home myself. I'll see you," she broke off, wincing at her word choice. "I mean. I didn't mean…."

"Katie, it's fine. It's a common expression, I know you didn't intend any malice by it." He cocked his head and smiled. "I'll 'see' you in the morning."

"Yes, you will." She patted his arm. "Night, Finch. Stone."

"Goodnight, Katie. And thank you again for your help last night and today."

"Night, Katie," Stone offered as she left.

The next day the weather finally broke and the sun was shining brightly enough that Katie found herself squinting as she crossed the street to the Marshall's office. She supposed she was taking a risk by assuming Finch was there, but she figured the odds were pretty good that he was. Amy had made up a Bannock cake for her to take over- Katie suspected she hadn't beaten it enough since the slices had ended up a little dense, but she didn't think either Stone or Finch would mind.

She found them in Stone's unfinished parlour sitting across the chessboard as she often did, but they didn't appear to be playing a game. Finch was still holding himself a little carefully, but while the bruising along his hairline had blossomed into into a deep purple, the swelling seemed to have gone down some so it appeared to be healing nicely. "Knock, knock."

"Hello, Katie." Finch had one of the chess pieces in his hand and was running his thumb over it again and again.

"Hey, Katie." Stone looked over at her and spotting the bundle. "What do you have there?"

"Amy wanted to stay up late and used baking as an excuse to do so," she explained, fudging the truth a little. Finding out Amy was worried about him would probably just make Finch uncomfortable, there was no reason to put that on him.

"And we get to partake in the results? I'm honored."

"I'm not really sure honored is the word I'd use," Katie said carefully. Amy meant well but sometimes….

Stone laughed at that. "Did she remember to add the sugar this time?" It was a valid question; he had experienced Amy's attempt at jumbles and nearly broken a tooth.

"I made sure she did." 

"I sense there is a story behind that."

"Amy means well, she just doesn't necessarily pay as much attention to things as she should," Stone explained as he went and grabbed a third chair from inside the office so Katie could sit.

Finch made a vague noise of understanding as he put the chess piece in his lap and accepted the napkin wrapped bundle she shoved at him. 

"Is there any word on what's going to happen to those tunnels?" she asked once everyone had a piece. 

"There's a council meeting tonight and the Mayor's going to bring it up then. I'm not really sure it'll do any good, if it winds up being anything like what happened after that whole thing with Tipton it'll be a lot of arguing for the sake of arguing and not a lot of decisions made about anything." Stone took a bite of the cake and looked down at it, surprised. "This is really good."

"Yes, please pass along my compliments to Amy, Katie." Finch was nibbling on his more than anything else, and holding it very carefully as he did so, but since he seemed genuine in his praise Katie risked it and took her own taste. Huh, not bad. Not bad at all.

"I will."

"Unfortunately, the concerns regarding what to do with the tunnels remain unchanged. In theory, they could be useful, especially if Silver City were to follow the trend of industrializing cities worldwide and develop its own sewer system based on Bazalgette's work in London or Chesbrough's in Chicago."

"That's a pretty big 'if' there, Finch."

"Yes, I suspect it is. And there is the possible destabilization of the town's foundation to consider when it comes either filling them in or collapsing them. All in all, I wouldn't be surprised if the outcome, again, is to leave them be and hope for the best."

"Neither would I. They'll see to blocking off the newest entrances in the name of public safety, but I don't think much else will come from it."

They all sat in silence for a few moments, pondering that depressing tidbit before Katie decided to break it by asking, "Either of you want more cake?"

"No, thank you," Finch said as Stone shook his head.

"Well, I should get back to work then. You know where to find me if you need me. Or if you need more cake," she added as an afterthought.

"Don't tempt me." Stone patted his stomach and sat back in his chair.

"Well, If you're sure…." She turned to leave but stopped when Finch called her name.

"Katie? If you don't think you'll be too busy, and if you'd be agreeable, I might drop by this afternoon."

"You're always welcome, Finch. You know that."

"I thought," Finch drifted off before starting again in a rush, "I'll be seeing Doctor Gates later. I thought, since you. Since I. That I."

Coming to Finch's rescue, Stone interrupted to explain, "We'll stop by after Finch's appointment to let you know what the Doc thinks about how he's doing."

"I'd appreciate that." She wasn't going to mention it outloud, but while he was being examined she was definitely going to be crossing her fingers and hoping for the best. "I'll see you then."

"Bye, Katie." 

Stone saw her off with a wave and a, "Thanks again for the cake."

To say she didn't accomplish much the rest of the day would be an understatement. After making a mess of the bills she turned her efforts instead to giving everything a thorough scrubbing. She always prided herself on how clean she kept the funeral parlor, but after today it sparkled. The day still seemed to pass terribly slowly, but eventually there was a knock on her door.

"Come in," she called.

It was Finch, who… no longer had any bandages covering his eyes. "Hello, Katie. May I say you are looking particularly lovely today."

"Finch?" 

Smiling brightly, Finch added, "I'm happy to report that Doctor Gates is quite pleased with my progress. There's still a lot healing to do, of course, and I'll need to be careful to avoid straining—" he broke off with a loud 'oof' when Katie pulled him into a tight hug.

"Oh, Finch! I am so happy for you!" 

Laughing, Stone stepped up behind them and clapped Finch on the back. "You got any of that cake left, Katie? I think this calls for a celebration!"

Unable to stop smiling, but not the least bit ashamed of that fact, she pulled the two of them inside. "It definitely does! Come on!" 

**Author's Note:**

> I had a lot of fun doing the research for this story and attempted to keep this as factually accurate as I could to both the setting and the show despite canon, imdb, and wikipedia being frustratingly inconsistent if not outright contradictory at times. I apologize if any errors slipped through.
> 
> The desserts mentioned are from [Mrs. Goodfellow's Cookery as It Should Be.: a New Manual of the Dining Room and Kitchen](https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=moa;idno=AEL7629) which was published in 1865. The recipe for Bannock Cake is "1 1/2 pint of meal, scalded; 4 eggs, well-beaten; one quart milk, warmed, with two tablespoonfulls of butter stirred in; salt to your taste; bake in a square or round tin pan, and cut up in slices. The lightness of this cake depends on the beating." (p. 174) The recipe for Jumbles is "Sift four cups of flour into a pan; cream two cups of nice brown sugar and a half pound of butter; beat two eggs very light; grate a little nutmeg; mix all together with a knife- if too stiff, a very little cream may be added. Sift a little flour and sugar onto the pasteboard, and roll them into cakes; handle as little as possible. Bake in tins quickly." (p. 191)


End file.
